AMD Engineering Manager is the New Palm Head of Linux Kernel

Mobile specialist Palm strengthens its team by hiring Matthew Tippett, the Linux graphic driver developer since 2003 at ATI, to be in charge of Linux kernel development.

According to the website Phoronix, the Australian born Tippett will start work at Smartphone manufacturer Palm in California starting in November. At AMD, Tippett was the definitive force behind Linux support and the release of AMD’s Catalyst graphic technology. In addition, an updated Catalyst driver was released to go with Ubuntu Karmic Koala.

At Palm, Tippett is to bring out the Linux based Smartphone operating system WebOS. Palm last caused eyebrows to raise with their reaction to criticism on the restriction of their app catalogue. At the end of September, the British mobile phone manufacturer Palm last fleshed out their team in WebOS boot as Ben Galbraith and Dion Almaer from Mozilla changed to Palm. The two brought the internet based Open Web movement with them to Palm which had provided for the initial posting of a web developer network.

Open source project Amarok, in an open letter to Palm, has invited the company to work with them. The reason: the Apple iTunes 8.2.1 update guarantees that the Linux-based Palm Pre smartphone can no longer use the iTunes music management software.

One of the highlights of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) just ending in Las Vegas is Palm's offering of its WebOS for mobile devices. A fitting name for its coming attraction in mid-2009 that uses this OS is the Palm Pre, to be offered exclusively through Sprint.